Memory Loss & Office of The Taliban.

OCT 29, 2001: President George Bush recently boasted: "When I take action, I'm not going to fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt. It's going to be decisive." President Bush should know that there are no targets in Afghanistan that will give his missiles their money's worth. Perhaps, if only to balance his books, he should develop some cheaper missiles to use on cheaper targets and cheaper lives in the poor countries of the world. But then, that may not make good business sense to the Coalition's weapons manufacturers. It wouldn't make any sense at all, for example, to the Carlyle Group—described by the Industry Standard as 'the world's largest private equity firm', with $12 billion under management. Carlyle invests in the defence sector and makes its money from military conflicts and weapons spending. Carlyle is run by men with impeccable credentials. Former US defence secretary Frank Carlucci is Carlyle's chairman and managing director (he was a college roommate of Donald Rumsfeld's). Carlyle's other partners include former US secretary of state James A. Baker III, George Soros, Fred Malek (George Bush Sr's campaign manager). An American paper—the Baltimore Chronicle and Sentinel—says that former President George Bush Sr is reported to be seeking investments for the Carlyle Group from Asian markets. He is reportedly paid not inconsiderable sums of money to make 'presentations' to potential government-clients. Ho Hum. As the tired saying goes, it's all in the family. Then there's that other branch of traditional family business—oil. Remember, President George Bush (Jr) and Vice-President Dick Cheney both made their fortunes working in the US oil industry. Turkmenistan, which borders the northwest of Afghanistan, holds the world's third largest gas reserves and an estimated six billion barrels of oil reserves. Enough, experts say, to meet American energy needs for the next 30 years (or a developing country's energy requirements for a couple of centuries.) America has always viewed oil as a security consideration, and protected it by any means it deems necessary. Few of us doubt that its military presence in the Gulf has little to do with its concern for human rights and almost entirely to do with its strategic interest in oil. Oil and gas from the Caspian region currently moves northward to European markets. Geographically and politically, Iran and Russia are major impediments to American interests. In 1998, Dick Cheney—then CEO of Halliburton, a major player in the oil industry—said: "I can't think of a time when we've had a region emerge as suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian. It's almost as if the opportunities have arisen overnight." True enough. For some years now, an American oil giant called Unocal has been negotiating with the Taliban for permission to construct an oil pipeline through Afghanistan to Pakistan and out to the Arabian Sea. From here, Unocal hopes to access the lucrative 'emerging markets' in South and Southeast Asia. In December 1997, a delegation of Taliban mullahs travelled to America and even met US State Department officials and Unocal executives in Houston.At that time the Taliban's taste for public executions and its treatment of Afghan women were not made out to be the crimes against humanity that they are now. Over the next six months, pressure from hundreds of outraged American feminist groups was brought to bear on the Clinton administration. Fortunately, they managed to scuttle the deal. And now comes the US oil industry's big chance. REFERENCE: OCT 29, 2001 FRONTLINES War Is Peace The world doesn't have to choose between the Taliban and the US government. All the beauty of the world—literature, music, art—lies between these two fundamentalist poles. BY ARUNDHATI ROY http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?213547

Taliban Diplomat Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi with Charlie Rose (2001)

 

Taliban Diplomat Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi with... by SalimJanMazari

April 25th, 2009 US created Taliban and abandoned Pakistan, says Hillary WASHINGTON, April 24 Two days of continuous congressional hearings on the Obama administration`s foreign policy brought a rare concession from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who acknowledged that the United States too had a share in creating the problem that plagues Pakistan today. In an appearance before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, Mrs Clinton explained how the militancy in Pakistan was linked to the US-backed proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. “We can point fingers at the Pakistanis. I did some yesterday frankly. And it`s merited because we are wondering why they just don`t go out there and deal with these people,” said Mrs Clinton while referring to an earlier hearing in which she said that Pakistan posed a “mortal threat” to the world. “But the problems we face now to some extent we have to take responsibility for, having contributed to it. We also have a history of kind of moving in and out of Pakistan,” she said. “Let`s remember here… the people we are fighting today we funded them twenty years ago… and we did it because we were locked in a struggle with the Soviet Union. “They invaded Afghanistan… and we did not want to see them control Central Asia and we went to work… and it was President Reagan in partnership with Congress led by Democrats who said you know what it sounds like a pretty good idea… let`s deal with the ISI and the Pakistan military and let`s go recruit these mujahideen. “And great, let them come from Saudi Arabia and other countries, importing their Wahabi brand of Islam so that we can go beat the Soviet Union. “And guess what … they (Soviets) retreated … they lost billions of dollars and it led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. “So there is a very strong argument which is… it wasn`t a bad investment in terms of Soviet Union but let`s be careful with what we sow… because we will harvest. “So we then left Pakistan … We said okay fine you deal with the Stingers that we left all over your country… you deal with the mines that are along the border and… by the way we don`t want to have anything to do with you… in fact we`re sanctioning you… So we stopped dealing with the Pakistani military and with ISI and we now are making up for a lot of lost time.” It was question from Congressman Adam Shciff, a California Democrat that spurred Secretary Clinton to delve into history and come out with an answer that other US politicians have avoided in the past. The congressman noted that while the US had provided “a phenomenal amount of military support for Pakistan,” they had not changed the paradigm. “And more pernicious, there are elements within the Pakistani intelligence services, the ISI that may be working at cross-purposes with us. “How we can possibly be funding the Pakistani military if elements of the military or intelligence services are actually working against us and having the effect of killing our troops next door?” he asked. REFERENCE: US created Taliban and abandoned Pakistan, says Hillary By Anwar Iqbal April 25th, 2009 http://archives.dawn.com/archives/33371

 2013: Ulema urge govt, Taliban to stop fighting ISLAMABAD: Ulema and representatives of various religious seminaries functioning under Wafaqul Madaris expressed concern on Monday over the “civil war-like situation” in the country and appealed to both the government and the Taliban to observe a “complete ceasefire” till the completion of the process of talks. The appeal was made in a joint statement issued after a “consultative meeting” of the Ulema and teachers of seminaries held at a hotel. It was presided over by Wafaqul Madaris chief Maulana Salimullah Khan. Abdul Quddoos, the spokesman for Wafaqul Madaris, a conglomerate of seminaries of Deobandi school of thought, said it was a routine “consultative meeting” to discuss the prevailing situation in the country and that was why the media had not been invited to cover the event or for a press briefing. In reply to a question, he said the organisation wanted to play a mediatory role in the peace process, but at the same time it was mindful of the past when the establishment “used our shoulders, but ultimately did what it had already decided”. Mr Quddoos recalled that Wafaqul Madaris played a mediatory role during the Lal Masjid episode in 2007 and later in Swat, but on both the occasions its efforts went in vain because of the use of military force. “This time we don’t want to put our reputation at stake.” The meeting was attended by Mufti-i-Azam Pakistan Mufti Muhammad Rafi Usmani, Sheikhul Islam Maulana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, head of Jamia Uloomul Islamia Binnori Town Maulana Dr Abdul Razzaq Iskandar, Maulana Fazal Muhammad, Maulana Sher Ali Shah of Jamia Haqqania, spiritual leader from tribal areas Maulana Mufti Mukhtaruddin Shah, Mufti Syed Adnan Kakakhel and Mufti Abu Labab of Jamiatur Rasheed, Maulana Muhammad Hassan of Jamia Madina Lahore and Secretary General of Wafaqul Madaris Maulana Qari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhary. REFERENCE: Ulema urge govt, Taliban to stop fighting BY AMIR WASIM 2013-10-01 07:27:27 http://dawn.com/news/1046606/ulema-urge-govt-taliban-to-stop-fighting

Analysis of Peace Agreements with Militants by Sohail Habib Tajik http://www.scribd.com/doc/173585821/Analysis-of-Peace-Agreements-with-Militants-by-Sohail-Habib-Tajik

Analysis of Peace Agreements with Militants by Sohail Habib Tajik by Aamir Mughal

2007: Maulana Hassan Jan shot dead in Peshawar Maulana Hassan Jan was a top religious leader who was respected among the followers of every sect. Maulana Hasan Jan was regarded as a friend of Taliban chief Mullah Omar. He was in a group of Pakistani scholars who traveled to Afghanistan in late 2001 in an attempt to convince Omar that he should expel Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan to avoid American attacks. Omar rejected the plea and a U.S.-led invasion later ousted the Taliban from power. REFERENCE: Maulana Hassan Jan shot dead in Peshawar BY Javed Aziz Khan Sunday, September 16, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=10136&Cat=13&dt=9/16/2007

2005 Major weapons cache, ‘spy Drone’ found: Operation in N. Waziristan PESHAWAR, Sept 13: Security forces have captured 21 militants in a major military operation in North Waziristan, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain said on Tuesday. The search operation, the biggest in North Waziristan, also yielded a huge cache of arms and ammunition, communication equipment and a remote-controlled Drone, he told a news briefing here. The Chinese-made remote-piloted vehicle was used by militants to spy on army movements and positions in the region, the corps commander said. He said the small aircraft had a wide-angle camera underneath its belly to take pictures of targets on the ground. He showed to journalists sophisticated radio equipment used to transmit instructions to fighters in Afghanistan in Darri and Arabic. He also showed a compact disc that, he said, contained information on positions of troops in the mountainous tribal region. Also on display were hundreds of video CDs, training manuals in Arabic, instructions on how to make bombs and explosive devices and frequency modules. There were also maps and handwritten notes in Russian, apparently for militants from Central Asian republics, passports, including one of a Jordanian national, and a suicide jacket with shoulder straps and trigger hooks. “I can say it now with certainty that we have broken the back of Al Qaeda and terrorists in the entire tribal region. This was a place which served as an Al Qaeda base from where they would control and coordinate operations. We have destroyed the base. This is our contribution to the war on terrorism,” the commander said. Lt-Gen Hussain said the action was taken after security forces intercepted certain documents during routine search at a checkpoint, including a message from a local cleric, Maulana Sadiq Noor, about procurement of ammunition for ‘jihad’ and possible military targets. He said that one of those arrested was a relative of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam MNA from Miramshah, Maulana Nek Zaman. He alleged that the MNA was indirectly involved in abetting terrorism and warned that appropriate legal action would be taken if more evidence was found against him. Maulana Zaman denied that he was related to the accused, Sadiq Noor. The commander said 21 people had been arrested during the ongoing military operations in Janikhel, Dandi Darpakhel and Mirali, many of them Afghans, including those involved in making improvised explosive devices. He disclosed that a government employee had also been arrested but his name and designation would not be released until investigations were completed. He said a stenographer of an administrative officer in Miramshah had been arrested for leaking sensitive information to militants. He said another raid had been conducted on the Abu Shuaib Madressah, whose administrator Maulana Amir Hamza was in custody of the security forces. JIHADIS’ 0FFICES: The corps commander acknowledge the existence of offices in Makin, South Waziristan, to recruit ‘mujahideen’ for ‘Jihad’ in Afghanistan but said that those belonged to tribal militant Abdullah Mehsud. But, he said, the recruitment was aimed at creating a situation in the tribal region to ‘discredit’ Baitullah Mehsud, the overall commander of the mujahideen in South Waziristan, whom Lt-Gen Hussain called a ‘soldier of peace’. “Abdullah Mehsud is a thug. It is only a matter of time before he meets his fate.” He avoided answering questions about mujahideen recruitment offices in Wana bazaar. TARGET KILLINGS: The commander did not agree with the impression that incidents of target killings of pro-government tribesmen were increasing in South Waziristan. He said that out of 58 incidents of so-called targeted killings, only eight were of pro-government or pro-army tribesmen. The rest, he claimed, had fallen prey to family or tribal feuds. STRIKE: Clerical staff in the office of the political administration in Miramshah went on a strike on Tuesday to demand release of Moharrars Rasul Hakim and Haji Feroz, who have been taken into custody by security forces for leaking sensitive information to militants. REFERENCE: Major weapons cache, ‘spy Drone’ found: Operation in N. Waziristan by ISMAIL KHAN 2005-09-14 http://beta.dawn.com/news/156608/major-weapons-cache-spy-drone-found-operation-in-n-waziristan

2004 ‘Mufti Shamzai was warned by the tribal militants’ LAHORE: Militants had warned Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai not to come to South Waziristan on a government-sponsored peace mission in the area, sources told Daily Times. “Shamzai’s visit to South Waziristan was scheduled for June 1, two days after his assassination,” said a religious leader on condition of anonymity. Shamzai also persuaded Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) workers to end their protest when they blocked the Karakorom Highway in October 2001. Certain jihadi outfits were unhappy with Shamzai playing the role of a peacemaker and he had come in for a lot of criticism from them. Sources said that Shamzai was held in the highest esteem by jihadi circles despite opposition to his role in ending TNSM workers’ protest. He exercised great influence on the tribal areas’ jihadi forces as well as Arabs supposed to hiding in the tribal areas. “When the military operation started in the tribal areas, Shamzai contacted the jihadi leadership including Nek Muhammad and advised them to find a political solution to the dispute, but Nek opposed the idea,” the source said. Another religious leader said that Nek had written Shamzai a letter, expressing reservations on Shamzai’s plan to broker a deal. Nek wrote that his influence over tribesmen would benefit the government instead of tribal people. The source said militants had warned Shamzai not to come to the area and that they would resolve the crisis independently. REFERENCE: ‘Mufti Shamzai was warned by the tribal militants’ By Amir Rana http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_9-6-2004_pg7_26

Nawaz voices concern over Swat deal - News Desk Wednesday, April 22, 2009 LAHORE: PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif, expressing concern about a controversial peace deal with militants, has said militants in Swat were trying to export their particularly harsh version of Sharia. “How do we deal with the situation in Swat?” Nawaz asked in an hour-long interview with USA TODAY at his home on the outskirts of the city. “They are now threatening to get out of Swat and take other areas into their custody. So we’ve got to avoid that situation.” Nawaz said he opposed attacks by US drones on militant hideouts as “counterproductive” and wanted to see dialogue with more moderate groups. Nawaz downplayed fears that the country could be taken over by the Taliban militants. He said the insurgency in Swat and border areas could be defused in just two years if sufficient economic development took place. Any deal with militants should include commitments that “democracy will not be allowed to deteriorate and the writ of the government will be honoured,” Nawaz said, adding that women’s schools and universities must be allowed to stay open. Nawaz terms Swat peace deal good Monday, April 20, 2009 LAHORE: PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif has said the Swat agreement is a good accord, which was imperative to restore peace in the valley. He reiterated that they would support the PPP government at the Centre as the country could not afford political confrontation. REFERENCES: Nawaz voices concern over Swat deal BY News Desk Wednesday, April 22, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=21661&Cat=13&dt=4/22/2009 Nawaz terms Swat peace deal good Says fight against militancy, extremism can be won by good governance BY our correspondent Monday, April 20, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=21626&Cat=13&dt=4/20/2009

Mr. Shafqat Mahmood way back in 2001 wrote this on Afghanistan and Taliban Militants.

Nov 16, 2001: Afghanistan and our future by Shafqat Mahmood : The Taliban are crumbling faster than cardboard shanties in the path of a storm. Promises of fierce ground battles, that churned the blood of many a chest thumper in Pakistan, are now drifting helplessly in the dust laden Afghan wind. It is not over yet, not by a long shot, but what remains is a mopping up operation. Scattered over rural Afghanistan, the Taliban residue and their foreign volunteers will be picked off slowly but surely. It is sad in a way although I have no love for the Taliban or what they stood for. Much of this could have been avoided if they were less cocky or more rational or more ready to be a part of the world. If they were all these things, though, they would not be Taliban. People who are ready to blow up ancient Buddhist statutes because they are idols or whip women because their ankles are showing or force every man to keep a six-inch long beard, do not live in the same world as you and I. A particularly poignant moment for me as Kabul fell, was the playing of music from a truck mounted loudspeaker. If the ordinary and trivial becomes special and significant, there is something terribly wrong with the world. And there was a lot wrong with the Taliban's world. The image of young Afghans queuing up to get their beards trimmed makes this point more eloquently than a thousand or a million words.

 Imran Khan Arrest and Jamat-e-Islami - 1 (CNN November 2007)

 

Imran Khan Arrest and Jamat-e-Islami - 1 (CNN... by SalimJanMazari


Imran Khan Arrest & Jamat-e-Islami - 2 (BBC November 2007)

 
Imran Khan Arrest & Jamat-e-Islami - 2 (BBC... by SalimJanMazari

 The liberators of Kabul are not the Dad's Army either. Within their ranks are some of the most blood thirsty tyrants ever encountered in the tragic Afghan history. Yet it is a sign of the times that many ordinary Afghans let out a collective sigh of relief when the Taliban departed. So let no one mourn the Taliban. They are not synonymous with the Afghans. They were freaks of history and will hopefully be consigned to that special place where other such oddities are kept. Some of our armchair warriors are not finished though. Retired Generals Hamid Gul and Aslam 'strategic' Beg are calling the Taliban disappearing act a brilliant tactical manoeuvre. Earlier they predicted fierce land battles and now, without an apology, they see the spectre of a long drawn out guerrilla war. Do not forget that one of these gentlemen declared Saddam's 'mother of all battles' as another Vietnam. Having had such a comeuppance, he should have taken an eternal vow of silence.

No such luck. The sad part is that some newspapers still bother to give space to his never ending bombast. Others like Qazi Hussain Ahmed also need to pause and do a rethink. If the Taliban were representative of all the Afghans or even of the Pashtuns they would not have crumbled so quickly. The fact is that they were a small slice of Afghani society and had gathered momentum only because of unending conflict and depravity of the warlords. When their true face was revealed most of the Afghans grew to hate them. It must also be remembered that if Afghans hate foreigners on their soil, they must have also grown to hate the Arabs, the Chechens, the Pakistanis and others who had flocked to Osama and the Taliban. It did not require a major calculation for the Afghans to see that at least some of their difficulties were because of the foreigners. It is instructive therefore that the Northern Alliance soldiers make it a point of executing the outsiders, who surrender, but spare the Afghans even if they are Taliban. The heat of the battle may be over but the political headaches have already begun. Putting together a broad based government, which by definition should be majority Pashtun, is not going to be easy. While there are definite problems ahead, some of us are becoming overly anxious about the Afghan government of the future. Yes, it was a mistake of our intelligence not to have a link to non-Taliban forces and I hope we have learnt a lesson. But, it is not the end of the world either. We must have faith in our intrinsic importance for any Afghan government. Most of Southern and Western Afghanistan has already become a common economic market with us. Pakistani goods such as wheat, edible oil, toiletries, POL products, cloth and a host of others are a staple in Afghan markets. Our currency is a legal tender there. This integration of markets is a necessary bond between us and Afghanistan.

 Imran Khan Arrest & Role of Jamat-e-Islami - 1 (November 2007)

 
Imran Khan Arrest & Role of Jamat-e-Islami - 1... by SalimJanMazari

 Imran Khan Arrest & Role of Jamat-e-Islami - 2 (November 2007)

 
Imran Khan Arrest & Role of Jamat-e-Islami - 2... by SalimJanMazari

Geography still dictates that we provide the nearest port to Afghan goods. In fact Afghan transit trade has become a headache for us and a bonanza for Afghan governments. We are also a host to millions of Afghans, whether we like it or not. No future Afghan government can afford to be an enemy of ours. It may not be a bosom buddy but then no Afghan government has ever been one. A businesslike relationship is the best we can hope for and this will happen. We must also have faith in the strength of our armed forces. Internally we may have mixed feelings about them because of their political role but externally we must understand that they can deter any aggression. No Afghan government will risk a conflict with us because they know our strength. So, while there may be a rocky road ahead in the near term, the long-term prospect of coexistence with future Afghan governments is not bad. There is also an apprehension among some people that our love affair with the Americans is about to end. The logic is that after the collapse of the Taliban, we are no longer required. Some even think that we are going to be the next target of American aggression. This is all nonsense. I have no brief for the Americans, and certainly no information, yet is not difficult to see what lies ahead. States come together because of shared interests. I do not see American interest in this region diminishing. Therefore, their interest in us and ours in them will remain.

 The simple fact is that the American are here to stay. They have not gone to all this trouble just to defeat the ragtag Taliban or even to root out Osama. These are valid targets but there is also a long-term strategic/economic objective. Central Asia has the largest untapped reservoir of oil and gas in the world. The best way to transport this to European and American markets is through Afghanistan and Pakistan. To do this, American companies have been trying to build a pipeline for many years now. After Afghanistan has been pacified, this will become a major priority. I do not believe that Americans would have bases either in Pakistan or Afghanistan but they will have some presence in Central Asia. More importantly because of economic and strategic reasons, they will stay engaged with this part of the world. This engagement dictates that they will continue to want a friendly Pakistan. They will also want Pakistan to remain stable and this can only happen if we are economically viable. Therefore, American assistance, and help with the international financial institutions, will remain. When President Bush and Colin Powell and even Tony Blair say that we are here for the long haul, they mean it. They will remain with us not because they love us, but because their economic and strategic interest demands it. Of course, this engagement would have other repercussions; some good, some bad. If the balance has to be towards the good, we will have to play our cards right.

 Imran Khan Arrest & Jamat-e-Islami - 3 (GEO TV November 2007)

 
Imran Khan Arrest & Jamat-e-Islami - 3 (GEO TV... by SalimJanMazari

Imran Khan Arrest & Jamat-e-Islami - 4 (ARY NEWS November 2007)

 
Imran Khan Arrest & Jamat-e-Islami - 4 (ARY... by SalimJanMazari

No outside power can take us out of our difficulties, if we are not determined to help ourselves. This government has done well to keep the focus on the economy but a fundamental social problem would also have to be addressed. We cannot have three systems of education, deeni madaris, Urdu medium schools and the elite English medium. This will keep dividing our society. We need to have one system of education for everyone. Rich, poor, liberal, orthodox, Shia, Sunni, Wahabi, Punjabi, Sindhi, Baluchi and Pushtun, would all have to be weaved into a common thread of education. Only this will heal the fissures in our society. We also need to sort out the extremists, the sectarian terrorist, the fascists hiding behind religion, and others of such ilk, who destabilise our society. One way to counter them is to rid them and the country of weapons. If we begin to do some of this, we would on the right road. If we are doing right, the help of our friends from abroad will make a difference. Otherwise no amount of aid can do any good. I stick my neck out to say that I am optimistic about the future. I really think that Pakistan came to an important crossroad and took the right decision. If we follow this up with correct policies only good lies ahead. REFERENCE: Afghanistan and our future by Shafqat Mahmood The writer is a former Senator and a former federal and provincial minister Nov 16, 2001 http://jang.com.pk/thenews/columnists/shafqat/shafqat28.htm